WFLA-TV

WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8 (VHF digital channel 7), is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Tampa, Florida, United States and also serving the nearby city of St. Petersburg. It serves as one of two flagship television stations of owner Media General. WFLA maintains studio facilities (co-located with former sister properties The Tampa Tribune and TBO.com) on South Parker Street in downtown Tampa, and its transmitter is located in Riverview.

History

The station first signed on the air on February 14, 1955, with a live broadcast of the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. It was originally owned by The Tampa Tribune, along with WFLA radio (970 AM and 93.3 FM, now WFLZ). WFLA-TV has been an NBC affiliate since the station's inception. Largely because of its newspaper background, it was the early ratings leader in the Tampa market until WTVT (channel 13) passed it for first place in 1962. In 1966, Richmond Newspapers, publishers of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and part-owner of the Tribune, acquired full control of the paper and the WFLA radio and television stations. Three years later, Richmond Newspapers changed its name to Media General, and WFLA-TV, the first television station owned and operated by the company, has been the flagship of its broadcasting group since then.